The Leys Institute Gymnasium building, opened in 1906, is nationally significant as a monument to the Victorian ideals of education and self-improvement for the community. The two buildings of the Leys Institute, a library building and the gymnasium building next door are believed to be a rare surviving example nationally of a purpose-built early twentieth-century combination of contiguous library and gymnasium structures and have played a significant role in Ponsonby and Auckland history. Both buildings, designed by architect Robert Watt, are important examples of turn of the century Edwardian Baroque architecture, and the main facades of the highly decorated one-storey plastered brick building, designed to be in keeping with the existing library, remain intact.
The Leys Institute was originally founded under the will of William Leys, a bookbinder and property owner who had been strongly involved in the Ponsonby community, who died in 1899, and then substantially financed by his brother, Thomson Wilson Leys. The Institute’s library was built in 1905; the funding for the neighbouring gymnasium came from a large donation from the estate of Ponsonby resident William Mason, two Mayors of Auckland, and members of the Leys family, who continued their involvement for many decades.
In the early twentieth century, exercise culture was very much in vogue, embraced by both men and women. A number of gymnasiums were established at this time. Much was made at the opening of the gymnasium in 1906 of the need for young people to develop both their bodies and their minds. While one use of a gymnasium may be to keep ‘young people out of mischief’, the mayor said it also ‘played an important part in developing their faculties, in enabling them to make the most of themselves’. The building consisted of a large open gymnasium with an open truss roof; a director’s office; dressing rooms; and a photography darkroom. The words ‘Mens sana in Corpore sano’ (a sound mind in a sound body) were displayed on the wall. Within months of the opening of the gymnasium, hundreds of members, both men and women, were enrolled under director Professor Francis Potter. Gymnastics, wrestling, fencing, boxing and other sporting groups, often named after the Institute, were soon established and used the building for more than a century. It was also used for concerts, lectures and political meetings.
In 1967-8 the council added a concrete block two-storey addition at the rear. Architect John Gummer carried out a major restoration project on both buildings, funded by the William Leys Trust Fund and completed in 1991. The 1960s addition was partly removed and a new section added to allow room for new gymnasium facilities.
The Leys Institute gymnasium building has architectural significance for its Edwardian Baroque style, of which there are few examples in Auckland. It is likely to be a rare surviving example of a purpose-built, early-twentieth century combination of library and gymnasium, reflecting the importance placed on self-improvement through both mind and body, in a period of social change and heightened awareness of the disadvantaged.
This building is still in use as a gymnasium and community centre, continuing the Institute’s hugely important role in the community life of Ponsonby.
The Leys Institute was originally founded under the will of William Leys, a bookbinder and property owner who had been strongly involved in the Ponsonby community, who died in 1899, and then substantially financed by his brother, Thomson Wilson Leys. The Institute’s library was built in 1905; the funding for the neighbouring gymnasium came from a large donation from the estate of Ponsonby resident William Mason, two Mayors of Auckland, and members of the Leys family, who continued their involvement for many decades.
In the early twentieth century, exercise culture was very much in vogue, embraced by both men and women. A number of gymnasiums were established at this time. Much was made at the opening of the gymnasium in 1906 of the need for young people to develop both their bodies and their minds. While one use of a gymnasium may be to keep ‘young people out of mischief’, the mayor said it also ‘played an important part in developing their faculties, in enabling them to make the most of themselves’. The building consisted of a large open gymnasium with an open truss roof; a director’s office; dressing rooms; and a photography darkroom. The words ‘Mens sana in Corpore sano’ (a sound mind in a sound body) were displayed on the wall. Within months of the opening of the gymnasium, hundreds of members, both men and women, were enrolled under director Professor Francis Potter. Gymnastics, wrestling, fencing, boxing and other sporting groups, often named after the Institute, were soon established and used the building for more than a century. It was also used for concerts, lectures and political meetings.
In 1967-8 the council added a concrete block two-storey addition at the rear. Architect John Gummer carried out a major restoration project on both buildings, funded by the William Leys Trust Fund and completed in 1991. The 1960s addition was partly removed and a new section added to allow room for new gymnasium facilities.
The Leys Institute gymnasium building has architectural significance for its Edwardian Baroque style, of which there are few examples in Auckland. It is likely to be a rare surviving example of a purpose-built, early-twentieth century combination of library and gymnasium, reflecting the importance placed on self-improvement through both mind and body, in a period of social change and heightened awareness of the disadvantaged.
This building is still in use as a gymnasium and community centre, continuing the Institute’s hugely important role in the community life of Ponsonby.
